Historical Canadian Football Team List
Senior and professional football teams in Canada, from the origins of Canadian football after it first deviated from rugby. In general, the term senior was used to describe the highest level of football in Canada before about 1950. After 1950, the phrase professional football came into more use, though there was a transition period through the late 1940's and 1950's. The change coincided with the shift of requiring players to be amateurs (not paid) to allowing non-amateurs. For a list of current CFL teams, see the current CFL season page. Years reflect team formed/end dates, not seasons of play. Original Nine BC Lions (1953 – Present) Calgary Stampeders (1945 – Present) Edmonton Eskimos (1929 – 1939, 1949 – Present) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1950 – Present) Montreal◦Montreal Concordes (1982 – 1986) ◦Montreal Alouettes (1946 – 1982, 1986 – 1987, 1996 – Present) Ottawa Rough Riders (1898 – 1924, 1931 – 1997) Saskatchewan Roughriders (1946 – Present) Toronto Argonauts (1873 – Present) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1938 – Present) Expansion Franchises Baltimore◦Baltimore Stallions (1994 – 1996) ◦Baltimore CFL Colts (1994) Birmingham Barracudas (1995 – 1996) Las Vegas Posse (1994 – 1995) Memphis Mad Dogs (1995 – 1996) Ottawa Renegades (2001 – 2006) Ottawa RedBlacks (2014 – Present) Sacramento◦Sacramento Gold Miners (1993 – 1995) ◦San Antonio Texans (1995 – 1996) Shreveport Pirates (1994 – 1996) IRFU Hamilton Tigers (1873 – 1950) Montreal◦Montreal Bulldogs (1940 – 1944) ◦Montreal Cubs (1938) ◦Montreal Royals (1939) ◦Montreal Hornets (1945) ◦Montreal Football Club (1872 – 1885) ◦Montreal Amateur Athletic Association Winged Wheelers (1919 – 1935) ◦Montreal Indians (1936 – 1937) ◦Montreal Amateur Athletic Association Football Club (1885 – 1918) Ottawa◦Ottawa Senators (1925 – 1930) ◦Ottawa Football Club (1876 – 1897) WIFU Calgary Bronks (1935 – 1940) Regina◦Regina Rugby Club (1910 – 1923) ◦Regina Roughriders (1924 – 1945) Vancouver Grizzlies (1941) ORFU Brampton Redskins (1952 – 1953) Camp Borden Fliers (1925 – 1930, 1940) Dundas Rugby Club (1910 – 1911) Hamilton WEPC (1903) Hamilton Alerts (1911 – 1913, 1940) Hamilton Rowing Club (1914 – 1924) Hamilton Tiger-Cubs (1926 – 1936) Hamilton Panthers (1937) Hamilton Wildcats (1941 – 1942, 1945 – 1949) Hamilton Flying Wildcats (1943 – 1944) Kingston Granites (1898 – 1901) Kitchener Panthers (1928 – 1931) Kitchener-Waterloo Panthers (1941 – 1942) Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen (1953 – 1958) London Knickers (1904 – 1906) London Lords (1956 – 1959) McMaster University (1951) Montreal Nationals (1938) Osgoode Hall (1890 – 1898) Ottawa Capitals (1919) Ottawa◦Ottawa Trojans (1944 – 1946) ◦Ottawa Combines (1943) Peterborough Pets (1904 – 1909) Peterborough ORFUns (1938 – 1939) Rochester Rockets (1956) Sarnia◦Sarnia Imperials (1928 – 1939, 1946 – 1955) ◦Sarnia 2-26 Battery Militia (1940) Sarnia Golden Bears (1956 – 1960) St. Brigid's Football Club (1922) St. Michael's College (1890 – 1911, 1929, 1932 – 1934) Toronto Torontos (1903 – 1904, 1919 – 1920) Toronto Victorias (1904 – 1907) Toronto Amateur Athletic Club (1908 – 1910) Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club (1909 – 1922) Toronto Rowing and Athletic Association (1915 – 1919) Toronto Varsity Orphans (1922 – 1930) Toronto◦Toronto Beaches-Indians (1948) ◦Toronto Balmy Beach Beachers (1924 – 1947, 1949 – 1956) Toronto Oakwood Indians (1941 – 1947) Windsor Greyhounds (1929 – 1931) Windsor Rockets (1945 – 1949) Windsor Royals (1950 – 1952) QRFU Bishop's College (1884 – 1885, 1889, 1891) Britannia Football Club (1877 – 1903) Brockville Football Club (1899 – 1902) Montreal CNR Football Club (1937) Montreal Notre-Dame-de-Gråce (1937) Quebec City (1883, 1893) St. George's College (1887) St. Patrick's College (1905 – 1906) Verdun Grads (1940 – 1945) Victoria Football Club (1890) Westmount Football Cub (1904 – 1907, 1937 – 1939) Western Unions Brandon (1889 – 1890) Brandon (1904 – 1906) Calgary◦Calgary Altomahs (1932 – 1934) ◦Calgary City Rugby Football Club (1906 – 1907) ◦Calgary Tigers (1908 – 1922, 1925 – 1930) ◦Calgary 50th Battalion (1923 – 1924) ◦Calgary Altomah-Tigers (1931) Calgary Bronks "B" (1936) Clover Bar (1890 – 1894) Edmonton◦Edmonton Eskimos (1910 – 1921, 1923) ◦Edmonton Rugby Football Club (1890 – 1907) ◦Edmonton Elks (1922) ◦Edmonton Esquimaux (1908 – 1909) Fort William (1909 – 1912) Garrison Rugby Club (1932 – 1933) Lethbridge◦Lethbridge Bulldogs (1934 – 1935) ◦Lethbridge Lancers (1936 – 1939) Moose Jaw Tigers (1910 – 1921) Moose Jaw King's Own Rifles of Canada (1927) Moose Jaw◦Moose Jaw Maroons (1928 – 1930) ◦Moose Jaw Millers (1931 – 1934) Moosomin (1890 – 1894) Regina NWMP (1890 – 1896) Riverview Rustics (1889) Royal Canadian Dragoons (1896 – 1898) Royal School of Mounted Infrantry (1888 – 1891) Saskatoon Quakers (1910 – 1935) Souris Plum Creeks (1889 – 1890) St. John's Rugby Football Club (1887 – 1919) University of Alberta Golden Bears (1910 – 1948) University of Manitoba◦University of Manitoba Bisons (1942) ◦University of Manitoba Varsity (1919 – 1934) Wesley College Wesleys (1897 – 1899) Winnipeg St. John's (1925 – 1933) Winnipeg Rugby Football Club (1881 – 1906) Winnipeg◦Winnipeg Rowing Club (1902 – 1915) ◦Winnipeg Victorias (1915 – 1927, 1935) Winnipeg◦Winnipeg Winnipegs (1930 – 1937) ◦Winnipeg Tammany Tigers (1916 – 1930) ◦Winnipeg Tigers (1913 – 1915) Winnipeg 90th Canadian Rifles (1890 – 1892) Winnipeg Obsbornes (1892 – 1894) Winnipeg Shamrocks (1903 – 1905) Winnipeg Shamrocks (1933) Winnipeg Canoe Club (1915) Military Service Clubs Camp Borden RCAF Hurricanes (1944) Gimli No 18 Service Flying School Hurricanes (1944) HMCS St. Hyacinthe-Donnacona Navy Combines (1943 – 1944) Hagersville RCAF Flying Tigers (1944) Halifax Navy Huntingdon No 41 Canadian Army (Basic) Training Centre (1942 – 1943) Lachine RCAF Station Flyers (1942 – 1943) Macdonald No 3 Bombing and Gunnery School Hurricanes (1944) Ottawa Civil Service Recreation Association (1942) Ottawa RCAF Uplands Flyers (1942) Regina Navy (1942) Regina All Services All Stars (1943) Rivers No 1 Central Navigation School Pathfinders (1944) St. Thomas RCAF Hornets (1944) Toronto HMCS York Bulldogs (1942 – 1944) Toronto RCAF Hurricanes (1942 – 1943) Winnipeg RCAF Fliers (1942) Winnipeg RCAF Bombers (1942 – 1943) Winnipeg United Services (1943) Winnipeg No 3 Wireless School Bombers (1944) Winnipeg Canadian Army Grenadiers (1944) Intercollegiate McGill◦McGill Redmen (1937, 1942 – 1944) ◦McGill University (1883 – 1897) Ottawa College (1883 – 1904) Queen's◦Queen's Golden Gaels ◦Queen's University (1882 – 1897) Royal Military College University of Toronto Varsity University of Western Ontario Mustangs Independent BC Cubs (1953) Hamilton Football Club (1869 – 1872)